A man who worked on a Fonda dairy farm was a leader of a human smuggling operation, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Phoenix.

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On March 17, a U.S. District judge in Phoenix sentenced Joel Mazariegos-Soto, 29, originally from Guatemala, to 12 years in federal prison for his role in laundering money from smuggling and harboring and transporting undocumented immigrants.

Both men pleaded guilty on Dec. 17 to conspiracy to launder money and conspiracy to transport and harbor illegal aliens.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, during one four-month period, Mazariegos-Soto laundered more than $70,000 while working at the Fonda farm. He moved the money through an illegal "funnel" account, requiring families of aliens in the U.S. to make deposits into a bank account that could be used by smugglers in the Phoenix area.

The smugglers used "stash houses" in the Phoenix area, including one discovered in October 2012 with more than 27 people and another found in January 2013 with over 40 people.

Perez-Jovel ran a stash house and coordinated the illegal transportation of undocumented immigrants throughout the U.S. in overloaded vehicles and luggage compartments of vans, prosecutors said.

He was arrested June 11, 2013, near Lake Worth, Fla., to which he had fled.